This column is a look at brave souls who have taken a leap of faith to open their own businesses in and around Ann Arbor. What follows are personal profiles of business owners following their dreams and thriving despite the odds.

by Cashmere Morley

Red Yoga

Kelli Harrington and Aric Shaffer, 421 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-436-8119; redyogaannarbor.com

Infrared Red Yoga Studio Has Yoga Enthusiasts Feeling the Heat

There’s a yoga spot downtown that has people seeing red—feeling red, breathing red, and moving with red, too – and it all starts with a heat lamp. To begin, roll out your yoga mat, leave your negative thoughts at the door, and be prepared to invest some sweat equity into the next hour of your day. At Red Yoga, a vinyasa-based, infrared studio that opened in 2015, red will transform not just your body, but your mind.

“Similar to blowing glass or bending metal, heat helps you get that flexibility in your body and your mental state,” said Red Yoga co-owner Kelli Harrington. “Our philosophy is to teach to the strongest in the room. If I’m, say, running, I run with someone faster than me, so that I can become faster. It’s the same principle here. There’s nothing worse than someone holding you back, and we encourage becoming your best, and growing continuously to reach that. At Red, we give permission to take breaks, to drop your knees, to realize that this is a practice. With yoga, the practice is every day. It’s what you eat, how much you sleep, how tapped into your emotions you are that day. You want to work all of that into your day-to-day, and into your [yoga] practice. We don’t put levels on our classes for that reason, because you can’t put a level on any of those things; you can’t put a level on life. You have to be confident in yourself, and that’s what we teach at Red.”

At Red Yoga, visitors are bathed in a deep crimson light as they move through poses. Infrared is a form of light that is invisible to the human eye, but that we can feel as heat. All objects in the universe omit some level of infrared, two of the most obvious sources being fire and the sun, though not all infrared can be felt or seen by human senses. Paired with vinyasa yoga, a “flow” based yoga that encourages the yogi to move seamlessly from one yoga posture to another, Red Yoga is a truly unique experience that pushes the visitor deeper into traditional poses with the help of infrared light, which relaxes the muscles and stimulates collagen. The therapeutic, infrared heat helps yogis get the most out of their practice, while the technology helps alleviate pain, improve flexibility, and detoxify the body.

Allie Oberlander, an assistant manager at Red Yoga, explains that there are different kinds of infrared in the room. “Our studio has near and far infrared lights, which means we have both lighting and panels in the room. The thing about infrared heat is that the room heats you from the inside out, instead of the outside in. This helps you get into the poses easier because you’re more warmed up as you start doing the yoga,” she explains. “So, you’re flowing through the entire class. We start you out with a 10 to 15-minute warmup, and it gets hotter and more challenging as you advance from there. Yoga is such a broad exercise. We always tell people, “don’t push yourself past your edge!” Make sure you’re not hurting yourself. We have instructors who are here to help you do just that, push yourself while not going past your edge.”

Red began when Harrington took the studio over from another studio that was also practicing heat-based yoga. Since then, she and her co-owner, Aric Shaffer, have transformed the spot into a building that’s all about healing and focusing on the here and now. Yoga instructors from all over the world gather at Red to teach awareness, acceptance, balance, and community. While the room heats slowly as you progress, it can reach temperatures as high as 103 degrees Fahrenheit. Harrington ensures it’s still a practice that anyone, from any walk of life, can benefit from.

“I used to be a runner – and I ran through everything,” Harrington said, “Every emotion. When I started doing yoga, I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t understand [the mental and physical boundaries of yoga]. I had to sit with my emotions instead of running through them. It was hard to not push. But I learned it was okay to have off-days, to drop my knees, to realize the bigger picture. That’s part of the individual process, and part of your journey here at Red,” she said. “Yoga can be done at home. But do you push yourself in certain ways at home? Not always. What gets people to come out here is the room, of course, but also the friendships created through the practice. We encourage people to get to know the person next to you. To not feel inhibited by people who are stronger than you,” said Harrington. “Certain areas of the room are not as hot, and we have a map in the room to help decipher that for new people. Just like in life, you’ll feel a bit tense as you reach your peak, but then the air comes on in the room and you make it through that tough spot, just as you’re hitting your most intense moment. The middle of the room is very hot, but it can be for everyone. Give yourself permission to learn [the process] slowly.”

Read related article: Yoga: Not for Women Only

For people who may have heat aversions or suffer from certain kinds of medical pain, Harrington invites you to still come and try out Red.

“People have to make their own modifications. Listen to your body. If you want to set up a private lesson, we can make adjustments for your body type. Just tell the teacher ahead of the session. I had a woman come in here with osteoporosis, and I was able to set up a private lesson with her where we were able to work out a modified lesson that was perfect for her body type. That’s the thing about yoga – there’s a pose for everyone,” Harrington said.

Oberlander expands on this topic, explaining that their core base of visitors are women aged 40 and above. Some are into more advanced poses; some are looking for a little meditation in the hectic hustle-and-bustle of everyday life, but all are coming with different body types, in different frames of mind, all seeking a little peace and relaxation. “We offer free meditation every day, for whoever wants to drop in. That’s to help people find a little more peace of mind. We also have free community yoga nights on Saturdays, for people who don’t have a lot of money and just want to do something different on a Saturday night. That starts at 6:30, and people from all walks of life attend,” she said. “Our community is a huge one – everyone who walks in needs to feel welcome and open to the different types of people we accept. We want the energy to be the best it can be; no negative energy in the studio. Get to know your neighbor and focus on who you’re around. I always tell people, it’s going to be more difficult than what you’re used to, but you’re going to enjoy it. I created such a close friend base here, and it just made everything so much more fun.”

In the years to come, expanding the Red Yoga brand is definitely something on Harrington’s mind.

“When thinking about growing the company, we want to take it one year at a time. We believe in our philosophy and know that this is something that takes off better in city areas, because we can really mesh what we do and accomplish here [at Red] with a city community,” said Harrington. “With a yoga community, everyone gets to know one another. Within a city, that only amplifies since we get to know local businesses through the people that come and practice here. We’re looking at Detroit next, Chicago, New York, Seattle… the red-light mimics sunshine, and that’s what’s also missing from a lot of dense city [landscapes]. Visiting [Red Yoga] is like visiting the beach, but you’re not leaving with any bad rays. You’re actually energized from it.”

Since the Ann Arbor location is situated in downtown, patrons at Red can come and go as they please between sessions to refuel and replenish at any of the surrounding shops, which means that visitors will often come back for another yoga session after some cooling off, something that Harrington enjoys.

“The city location encourages people to hang out here. Beyond that, we see a lot of college students [from Michigan universities] coming back to our studio after moving to other larger cities that don’t have Red Yoga, because they miss the effect it has. Other big cities aren’t capturing what we have at this studio, and that makes us really special.”

For anyone hesitant to try infrared yoga, Harrington ensures that at Red, they are there to make you the best version of yourself.

“Every pose is different for every body. We aren’t trying to mold you into a “perfect” yoga shape. Get into the poses first, and if you need more direction, we’re here for you. We give you a lot of opportunities to learn at your own pace – learn about yourself, from yourself.”

Teaspressa

Allison DeVane, 414 South Main Street #115b , Ann Arbor, MI 48104

734-431-6798; annarbor@teaspressa.com

Find Your Cup of Tea with Teaspressa

If everyone drank our tea in the morning instead of traditional expresso, no one would have jitters or crashing.” says Rachel Miller, Ann Arbor general manager and event coordinator at Teaspressa. It’s the middle of a rush on a Friday, but Miller is as bubbly and effervescent as the cup after cup of coffee inspired tea she’s pouring. There’s a Zen-like quality in the air here at Teaspressa; regulars are sipping color-changing lattes under the building’s neon lights while the work of local artists hangs from every wall, encouraging you to pause and reflect for even just a moment on something other than your normal everyday routine. Miller says that’s the point.

Teaspressa, established in 2015 by founder Allison DeVane, is an all-natural, specialty blended tea brand made just like a shot of expresso through Teaspressa’s patented technology. The finely ground tea they’re known for is not quite a powder consistency but not a loose-leaf tea either. Miller says it falls somewhere in between. At their locations, a curious tea drinker could discover espresso-style tea shots, lattes and macchiatos, home brewing equipment to make it yourself, and even a few loose-leaf tea blends to round out Teaspressa’s out-of-the-box and into the expresso machine marketing. Cultivating positivity and creativity in your everyday life is part of Teaspressa’s branding, and unlike most cafés, Miller says that each person who walks in will find a little Zen in the creation of a Teaspressa drink, something she calls the “Teaspressa experience.”

“I honestly think there isn’t a most popular drink here at our Ann Arbor location. We have so many options, that I truly believe there’s a drink for everyone here,” says Miller. “If you’re a tea lover and love black tea, our Manhattan Black Rose is gonna be your best bet. If you like green tea, our Ruby Rose tastes like chocolate with a hint of passionfruit, that we decorate with flowers on the top. There’s a drink for everyone, and that’s what makes this place special. We end up knowing our regulars by name, here. When you go into Teaspressa, you’re going to get the perfect drink for you. We know your name, your kids’ name, your dog’s name. The Teaspressa experience means you get exactly what you want out of the drink.”

Tea that’s made like coffee, some might argue, is hardly a departure from the specialty health teas floating around stores these days. But Miller says that Teaspressa is different from their approaches in almost every way, starting from the way the tea is processed, to how it’s incorporated into a drink.

Read related article: Thrive Juicery

“The reason why I think our product is so important, and the methodology of Teaspressa is so different from what’s out there, is that you can make a latte and have all the same flavors as coffee, you could have notes of mocha, or fruity flavors, but you’re making it out of tea which is healthier for you, there’s much more health benefits, like tea antioxidants and digestive health. You still get the caffeination, but you don’t get the caffeine crash or the side effects that come with it, like the jitters, like you would with a shot of an expresso,” says Miller.

“We have the technology to not just make it into a cup of tea, but a latte. Anyone can make tea at home, anyone can make tea at work, but only our locations can make it into a true tea latte. You can make a very similar drink at home with our ingredients, but it wouldn’t be pulled through an expresso machine. For the perfect consistency and texture, you have to come into the store. But, even though our tea is done in house through our own modified expresso machines, you can also create a latte at home through our sugar cubes.”

Teaspressa breaks away from loose-leaf or bagged teas with their sugar cubes and elixirs. Sugar cubes come in a variety of flavors including cocktail cubes, citrus cubes, and more. Elixirs are the opposite of sugar cubes in that they’re sugar free, and come in only three flavors. With all the taste, and none of the sugar, they added to your drink by drops, like a traditional elixir.

“We have our signature flavors of teas like London Fog compressed into sugar cubes. We also have fruity flavors like strawberry and vanilla.” says Miller. “For making expresso lattes, for instance, you’d just drop in a sugar cube along with milk and make it at home. Instead of syrup, we have our sugar cubes.”

Cocktail cubes pack the flavor into an innovative form of sugar cube that mixes traditional tea flavors with a twist of cocktail yumminess.

“The cocktail cubes are really fun because they eliminate the need for ginger beer or other modifiers. You could take a vodka and sparkling water, throw in one of our sugar cubes, and boom! You gotta mojito.” says Miller. Teaspressa also has other traditional cocktails flavors like sours and Manhattans to elevate your beverage .

Since 2016, Teaspressa has spawned four new locations, and just celebrated a year open at their Ann Arbor site on South Main Street.

DeVane had an appearance on the popular television show Shark Tank in 2016, three months after Teaspressa was founded. Armed with a passion to change peoples’ minds about tea and an innovative, woman-run team, DeVane did not land a deal, but the knowledge she took away from that experience made Teaspressa what it is today.

“She took all of their critiques into consideration,” says Miller. “Teaspressa was too new for the sharks to fully consider them for a deal, but if anything, it made us a stronger company. Allison is the most influential, powerhouse of a woman I’ve ever met. She is the boss. There’s no question what we are, what we do, and want we want to put out. And part of that came out of our experience from Shark Tank.”

Miller says there was “a million roadblocks” forming the innovative tea brand, but that never stopped DeVane from succeeding. After her first modified machine got ripped out of her café by a bunch of thieves at her Arizona location, the first store she opened, DeVane invested in new expresso machines and kept experimenting. Even now, the formula and process of Teaspressa is an evolution, still a learning experience to make sure the receiver is getting the perfect drink out of it. And along the way, there is a constant push from Teaspressa to give back to the community, a push to go green and local through their products and vendors.

“One of our biggest things is that all of our food products are through farmer’s market, Trader Joe’s, or Home Goods. Everything is completely organic, and we go as local as possible. Every location is a little different, but we all have events going on. At this location in Ann Arbor, we just did a bullet journal event that focused on wellness. We support small businesses in that way. We keep everything very organic and local. All you have to do is email me to become a vendor,” says Miller.

It’s a symbiotic process; the shelves of Teaspressa are nestled with local candle and drink vendors that have supported the brand since its inception, and in return, Teaspressa sells their goods. Traditional café items like paper straws replace traditional plastic straws, a push away from everything plastic all the time, and in return to this message, local vendors fighting for the same cause help populate Teaspressa’s “events” page with all kinds of local popup occasions, focusing on health, the environment, and wellness.

“If you’re hesitant to try Teaspressa out because you’re not a tea lover, you should consider it for your health, bottom line,” says Miller. “Most people don’t drink coffee black, they add fillers like milk and sugar, and even if you’re doing that with a tea latte, the benefits from the tea are so much healthier for you than expresso could ever be. Everyone in the whole world drinks tea. The benefits of it outweigh anything else. Plus, it will be a personal, custom experience that you will end up loving here at Teaspressa.”